Post by Joanna on May 15, 2017 15:16:41 GMT -5

'Moors Murderer' Ian Brady Dead at 79

The Moors Murderer Ian Brady (above left) has died at a high security psychiatric hospital in Merseyside. Brady, 79, who, with his partner Myra Hindley (right), tortured and murdered five teenagers and children, was confirmed to have died by Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust. Hindley died in prison in 2002 at the age of 60. The cause of Brady’s death is unclear, but he was reported to be receiving palliative care from nurses around the clock in recent days.

Two private ambulances were seen leaving the grounds of the hospital Monday night. A spokesman for the NHS trust said: “We can confirm a 79-year-old patient in long term care at Ashworth High Secure Hospital has died after becoming physically unwell.”

Brady has been held at the Ashworth secure psychiatric hospital for 32 years after being transferred there in 1985 to be treated for psychopathy. The prisoner had been force-fed for many years after going on a hunger strike from 1999, despite his requests to be moved to a Scottish prison where he could not be force-fed. However, at a hearing in 2013, it was revealed that he regularly ate toast and soup. He was turned down at the mental health tribunal on tgrounds that he was insane. Brady, who had continued his legal challenges into his final months, was reportedly receiving constant care by nurses specializing in terminal cancer, according to The Sun newspaper.

Terry Kilbride, whose brother, John Kilbride, was one of their victims, had appealed to Brady to reveal the location of Keith’s body before he died. According to Kilbride, Brady had “taunted every one of the families” and he hoped Brady would finally provide closure for the family by making a full confession. In an interview Monday afternoon, Kilbride told ITV News it was “going to feel good” to see the murderer dead. “Good riddance that he’s gone, I don’t drink but I will have a pint,” Kilbride said. “And I think that will be the opinion of most people.”

The Moors Murders. Brady and Hindley were responsible for the murders of five children and teenagers from 1963 to 1965. They lured their victims to their home in Manchester, where they were sexually tortured and later buried on Saddleworth Moor above the city. Victims. Their first victim was Pauline Reade, 16, who was taken on her way to a dance on July 12, 1963. On November 23, 1963, John Kilbride, 12, was snatched from Ashton Market. Keith Bennett, 12, was taken June 16, 1964, on his way to his grandmother’s house. Lesley Ann Downey, 10, was lured away from a fair December 26, 1964. Edward Evans, 17, was killed October 6, 1965. His body was found in a spare room in the couple’s house, leading to their arrest and later imprisonment.

Sentences. Brady was sentenced to life in prison at the Chester Assizes court in 1966 for the murders of John, Lesley Ann and Edward. Hindley was convicted of killing Lesley Ann Downey and Edward Evans and for shielding Brady following John Kilbride’s murder. She, too, was imprisoned for life. In 1987, the pair finally admitted killing Keith Bennett and Pauline Reade.

Sources: ITV, May 15, 2017, and Sophie Jamieson, The Telegraph, May 15, 2017.